Proposition AA: Retail Marijuana Taxes

BALLOT WORDING:

Shall state taxes be increased by $70,000,000 annually in the first full fiscal year and by such amounts as are raised annually thereafter by imposing an excise tax of 15% when unprocessed retail marijuana is first sold or transferred by a retail marijuana cultivation facility with the first $40,000,000 of tax revenues being used for public school capital construction as required by the state constitution, and by imposing an additional sales tax of 10% on the sale of retail marijuana and retail marijuana products with the tax revenues being used to fund the enforcement of regulations on the retail marijuana industry and other costs related to the implementation of the use and regulation of retail marijuana as approved by the voters, with the rate of either or both taxes being allowed to be decreased or increased without further voter approval so long as the rate of either tax does not exceed 15%, and with the resulting tax revenue being allowed to be collected and spent notwithstanding any limitations provided by law?

TRANSLATION:

Proposition AA, if approved, would:

· Impose a 15 percent state excise tax on the average wholesale price of retail marijuana when the product is first sold or transferred by a retail marijuana cultivation facility, with public school construction receiving the first $40 million of any annual tax revenues collected.

· Impose a 10 percent state sales tax on retail marijuana and retail marijuana products, in addition to the existing 2.9 percent state sales tax, to increase funding for the regulation and enforcement of the retail marijuana industry and to fund related health, education, and public safety costs;

· Direct 15 percent of the revenue collected from the 10 percent state sales tax to cities and counties where retail marijuana sales occur.

· Allow the state legislature to increase or decrease the excise and sales taxes on retail marijuana so long as the rate of either tax does not exceed 15 percent.

Want to know more?

This information was taken from the 2013 State Ballot Information Booklet written by the Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly. For additional information on the ballot measure, read the book.